Category Archives: Fine Dining

Sunstone Winery Wedding: The Food

When I started planning my wedding last year, one of my biggest priorities was to have delicious food. I wanted a meal that would be memorable and one that our guests would remember. Thanks to my amazing wedding planner and the culinary talents of Trattoria Grappolo, Sunstone Winery and Solvang Bakery, we got that meal and then some.

All of these pictures in this post are from my amazingly talented wedding photographer Dana Grant, and pretty much make me hungry every time I look at them. The Englishman and I tasted everything that was served before our big day, and I couldn’t be more pleased with the end result.

For our cocktail hour, we had three different Sunstone Wines: Rose, Grenache Blanc and Merlot along with an assortment of beers for guests to sip while they enjoyed some passed appetizers.

For our passed appetizers, we decided on some bacon wrapped shrimp, bruschetta toasts, melon wrapped in prosciutto and house made potato chips with burrata and guava.

In short, it was AMAZING. All of it.

I couldn’t get enough of the house made potato chips either as evidenced when the Englishman and I paid a visit to chef Leonardo for a snack.

Pretty soon it was time for the champagne toasts and to dig into dinner.

For dinner, we started our meal with freshly baked bread and olive oil (one of the best combos ever in my opinion).

The salad course included a classic Caprese and a Caesar salad.

For our entrée, we decided on a rustic roast chicken with vegetables and a penne amatriciana.

Everything was served family style so guests could enjoy as much as they wanted (I loved having dinner this way!)

Then it was time for our delicious cake! If you read my post on Solvang Bakery, then you’ll know that they made sure the cake was free of any allergens and made from scratch.

Not only was our cake gorgeous, but it was GOOD. Best cake I’ve ever had hands down.

We ended up going with two different flavors – chocolate with lemon buttercream and carrot with lemon buttercream. We have the top tier in our freezer but somehow I don’t think it will last until next year.

In addition to cake there was gelato, which I never got to try (still broken up about it), but it was a big hit among our guests, especially since it came with little sugar cones.

And that was our wedding food. Huge thanks again to Dana Grant Photography and her amazing pictures! If you are ever in the Santa Ynez area be sure to pop into Sunstone Winery for a glass of rose, Solvang Bakery for some baked goodies, and Trattoria Grappolo for an amazing meal. I’m already planning my return trip up there to eat all of it again.

Lark Creek Newport Beach

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I realized it’s been quite some time since I reviewed an Orange County restaurant on my blog. In fact, the last time I wrote a review was back in October! Between wedding planning, work travel, and recipe development at home, I just haven’t been dining out as much. This past weekend though I did make it out for a delicious dinner at Lark Creek Newport Beach.

The Englishman and I have heard nothing but great things about Lark Creek Newport Beach and decided to treat my parents to dinner there since they were big fans as well. The restaurant is located in Fashion Island and has a wonderful outdoor patio area complete with fire pits and nice couches. Since it was a bit chilly out we opted to dine inside, but I can definitely see myself returning in the summer for some cocktails and food on the patio.

The menu at Lark Creek Newport Beach focuses on seasonal cuisine which I happen to love because not only does the menu change frequently, but it also means you are getting the freshest produce available.

We decided to start our meal with a bottle of Rose, since the Englishman and I are obsessed after traveling to Oregon this summer.

For our entrees, I had my eye on the Truffle Burger so I ordered that as well as the Caesar Salad and split both with the Englishman.

The burger was topped with black truffle cheese and truffle aioli and was cooked perfectly. The fries on the side were a nice complement as well. My only comment is the burger really wasn’t big enough to share between two people, and at $23, I felt the price was a bit steep for what you got.

The Caesar Salad was good, just your basic salad. It was good that we ordered this as well since the burger was on the small side.

My mom ordered the Day Boat Scallops which were melt in your mouth good.

Just like the burger, the scallop dish was on the pricier side ($25) and she only got three small scallops and cauliflower puree. I would’ve liked to see a little more for the price.

It’s currently Crab Month at Lark Creek Newport Beach, so my dad ordered the Combo Louis Salad ($19) that came with dungeness crab, shrimp, lettuce, avocado and egg. I happen to love dungeness crab so I snuck a couple of bites of his salad and they were delicious.

For dessert we ordered profiteroles, which were stuffed with caramel ice cream instead of traditional cream.

The pastry was light and flaky and I loved the ice cream inside of the profiteroles. We practically licked the plate clean.

And since it was an ice cream kind of night we got a scoop of chocolate and vanilla. Not the most exciting choice, but delicious nonetheless.

I really liked the food at Lark Creek Newport Beach, but I did feel some items were over priced, and I have to mention the service. While our waiter was nice and attentive, the lag time between courses was a bit significant. It took a while to get the wine we ordered, and then the wait time between dinner and dessert was pretty high as well. Since I’ve worked in the restaurant industry in the past, I definitely understand the timing between courses, but this seemed a bit excessive.

I’d like to come back to Lark Creek and try some of their menu items and see if the service is still an issue. AND they have happy hour specials every day from 3-6. Weekend happy hour anyone?

Dinner at Five Crowns

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So we all know I love SideDoor in Corona del Mar. I’ve had my engagement pics taken there, I’ve had brunch there and I’ve gotten drinks there. The Englishman and I love the cozy pub feel and delicious food. In all the times I have been to SideDoor, I never ventured next door to have dinner at Five Crowns. Until now.

I was recently invited to have dinner at Five Crowns, which is an Orange County staple. Known for their prime rib dinners and delightful English decor, Five Crowns is one of those places you just have to go to at least once (if not more often). The Englishman and I got dressed in our best and prepared to feast on a prime rib dinner with Yorkshire pudding, but instead were treated to a different meal that surprised us in the best way possible.

We started our evening with some drinks and I went with my personal favorite, a vodka martini with olives, while the Englishman had a beer flight recommended by our waiter Trey who was absolutely wonderful.

Since this was our first time dining at Five Crowns, it was recommended that we let the chef prepare some of his signature dishes for us instead of ordering off the menu. The restaurant was also very accommodating to my food allergies and made sure that the dishes I was served did not have corn, soy or walnuts.

The first course we were served was Grilled Prawns with a side salad, also known as a secret off the menu option. When the dish arrived with steaming prawns on top of a hot stone with rock salt, I knew we were in for a treat.

And what a treat it was! I’ve dined at a number of restaurants where the seafood is often overcooked and rubbery, but these prawns were cooked to perfection. I seriously could’ve eaten an entire meal of just prawns alone.

The next course was the Watermelon and Beet Salad which came with goat cheese, crispy quinoa, and avocado.

Ever since I had the beet and goat cheese combo at Mesa I’ve been a fan, and this did not disappoint. I loved the creamy goat cheese mixed with the beets and crunchy quinoa. It is well-known that the Englishman is not a big goat cheese fan, but he loved this dish as well.

Next up was our mains. Filet Mignon for her, and a Berkshire Pork Chop with creamy grits and broccolini for him.

I rarely (if ever) order pork when I’m dining out and I was pleasantly surprised by this pork chop. It was so tender and juicy and I loved the seasoning. The Englishman also gave the grits high marks.

I also loved the filet as well. I am notorious for ordering meat well done, and this one was medium well and so delicious. This filet mignon alone has changed the way I will order steak when dining out now.

We were also presented with a lovely dish of Truffle Mac ‘n Cheese to enjoy with our main courses. And if it has the word truffle in it, you know it’s going to be good.

The mac ‘n cheese was rich and creamy, and pretty much everything you could ask for. No processed fake cheese here folks.

The grand finale of the evening was a Lemon Mascarpone Cheesecake topped with strawberry pepper jam and whipped cream.

Cheesecake is usually a hit or miss dessert for me, but since this was made with mascarpone, the flavor was out of this world. It really is the perfect summer dessert and the pepper jam gave it a nice punch.

Our dinner at Five Crowns was definitely one for the books. The service was impeccable and the food was just so good. While the prime rib is a restaurant staple, Five Crowns has so many other wonderful dishes to offer as well.

A big thank you to Five Crowns for treating us to such a lovely meal. I’m already planning my return visit to get some more prawns. And steak. And cheesecake.